Bridge pickup replacement recommendations for S2 Singlecut?

[Atharos]

I recently picked up my very first PRS. As much as I love how it plays and how it looks, I don't like the bridge pickup. I'm wanting to replace it. I play mainly pop punk/alternative/rock, but then I do play some metal as well. What would be a good option as a replacement pickup? I like how the Seymour Duncan JB sounds, but I want to keep this thing all PRS. What are your recommendations?

Not as important, but I would like it to be covered as well. I like the looks of the covered pickups on it right now.

 

[dogrocketp]

Adjust it before you replace it. PRS pickups tune like a sports car.

 

[Atharos]

Adjust it before you replace it. PRS pickups tune like a sports car.

What kind of adjustments could I make?

 

[bodia]

I'm with the dog on this. PRS pickups are very sensitive to adjustment. Sometimes all it takes is a 1/4 turn. Individual pole piece adjustments make a huge difference as well.

 

[Atharos]

I'm with the dog on this. PRS pickups are very sensitive to adjustment. Sometimes all it takes is a 1/4 turn. Individual pole piece adjustments make a huge difference as well.

Gotcha. I've never done this before. Should I just have my tech look at it and do it for me?

 

[bodia]

Gotcha. I've never done this before. Should I just have my tech look at it and do it for me?

I'd give it a shot yourself. Start with 1/4 turns, and go,slow. You can always put them back to their starting point. Tone is yours, unless you're sitting with your tech while he's making the changes.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Adjusting the pole pieces does wonders too... I've had some "meh" sounding PRS pups turn to amazing with the spin of a screwdriver.

 

[andy474x]

Definitely adjust the pickup first - many times it will do wonders. I've found that the right combination of pickup height (adjusted with the 2 mounting screws) and arching the pole piece screws on the pickups to roughly match the fretboard/string radius works for me.

That being said, I did end up switching out the bridge #7 on my S2 Standard 22. It didn't sound bad, just was a little too upper mid focused and "nasal" for that guitar - still love the S2 #7 bridge in my Custom Semi Hollow, go figure. For the Standard, I got a covered 59/09 bridge pickup from Coral Sky Music - they're the only place you can get em, and they were great to deal with. The pickup itself is a little more balanced, and just the right output to keep up with the #7 neck, which IMO is divine!

 

[dogrocketp]

On my 03 CE 24, I changed out the original vb/hfs for a pair of old 57/08`s. I don`t like the sound of ceramic magnets unless you`re playing metal. (Can`t do that, can`t shake my head the right way & not enough hair). The other three, I wa able to dial in great sound by raising or lowering the pickups and pole pieces. There`s no correct way to do it. I use the Lindy Fralin idea. Get your neck pickup to sound the way your ears like, then go after the bridge. It involves trial and error, and extreme patience. To me, these are guitars to make our own personal sound with, and then keep till death...yadda.....yadda.....yadda.

 

[DuncanCE22]

I'm with the guys on this, adjust the pole pieces first, when I first put my pre \m/ pickups in i wasn't really thrilled by them but after a bit of playing around with them they've become some of the best pickups I've ever used. if after some adjusting you still want a change then maybe consider the \m/ pickups, they're fantastic, don't be fooled by the name they're a great around pickup for any type of rock, but they are more than capable of screaming when you do come to play metal.

 

[Headset]

I have a JB in two of my other guitars and a Tremonti Treble in my PRS Tremonti.

• The Tremonti is higher output
• The JB has more pronounced mids
• The JB has a looser/warmer bottom end
• The Tremonti is brighter

If you're going to play with more low-mid gain I'd say to go with the JB. If you want that super saturated bright and tight modern tone go for the Tremonti.

Either way I can tell you that upgrading pickups makes a big difference in the tone of the instrument.

 

[Barquentine]

I got my S2 Singlecut two days ago. Spent the first day playing the hell out of it and today I started to look seriously at the tone. I got the S2 at a very good price - new but a discontinued colour. I wanted it as a gigging companion to my Bernie so that I have two guitars that sound as much like each other as possible. My Bernie has a set of Bare Knuckle Abraxas pickups in it. The S2 is already pretty close to the Bernie in sound but just a little harsher in the top end.

First thing was to change the strings for D'addarios. Big improvement straight away as I find that D'addarios sound great brand new whereas Ernie Balls and most other strings I've used (including the ones the S2 came with) sound really tinny until they've broken in. Then I started playing with the bridge pickup height. I made tiny adjustments lowering it on the high E side and constantly swapped between the S2 and my Bernie to check how close I was getting. I've ended up with the bridge pickup just a little lower on that side and it's getting to the point that the two guitars are closer in tone than ever. I haven't finished yet but have taken a break until tomorrow because after a while your ears start to play tricks on you. I'm going to compare it to my guitar with a JB in the bridge.

It's really easy to do and not worth asking a tech to do it because they won't be able to guess what sound you want and everyone hears a little differently.

The real test will be at band rehearsal volumes next week.

 

[Barquentine]

Update: after a couple of days playing and comparing my various guitars through my gigging amp I've come to really dislike the 7 pickups. I tried to like them but it wasn't happening. I now have a set of Bare Knuckle Rebel Yells in it which are beyond amazing.